Yesterday I witnessed a fisherman on the beach. He wrestled a strong animal and the rough current for a good five minutes. As he continued to struggle, the crowd began to swell. The line finally came to where the waves met the white sand and out of the salty water appeared a baby white tail shark.

The fisherman was brave and quickly grabbed the shark from his tail and removed the fishing line. The man shoved the baby shark back into the ocean and off he swam in a zig zag manner out to sea.

This led me to the thought of the significant of the catch. It is no surprise that after a time of seeing easy-to-get fish awaiting in the ocean deep, an older shark may know to avoid them. Most of the time in life, what comes easy is the same as the fisherman’s bait, ready to reel us in to our destruction. As we grow in Christ and learn that such temptations might attract us with convenience, but are perilous to us in the end.

What is the bait the enemy is dangling in front of you today? It would be so easy to choose what appears instant, but may we rely on the Lord to provide all that we need.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. -Hebrews 5:12-14 (NKJV)

This Scripture explains the importance and the evidence of spiritual growth by being able to discern both good and evil. When the world throws bait at you, will you assume that it is good and take hold of it, only to be pulled into its trap? Or by the Holy Spirit, will you use spiritual discernment to avoid what seems enticing and choose the way that leads to life found in Christ?

I pray that we will always be learning and growing in the Lord and quickly recognize areas where the enemy is trying to tempt us with bait.